Rayfe Gaspar-Asaoka

Rayfe Gaspar-Asaoka is a Partner at Canaan Partners, a venture capital firm where he has been working since 2015.1 Here are some key details about his background and role:

Professional Experience

Rayfe joined Canaan in 2015 as an Investment Professional and has since been promoted to Principal and then Partner in December 2020. He focuses on deep tech investments, including areas such as:

• Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Space technology
• Robotics
• Enterprise and infrastructure software12

Education and Early Career

• M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University
• B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California (graduated top of his class in 3 years)
• Previously worked as a Senior Associate at Keystone Strategy
• Had roles as a ML engineer at Wolverine Trading and ASIC designer at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems23

Notable Achievements

• Named to Forbes "30 Under 30" list4
• Became the youngest principal in Canaan's 32-year history5
• Helped develop Canaan's frontier tech strategy, which has become a core franchise of the firm's $800 million fund5

Board Positions

Rayfe holds board positions at several companies, including:

• Tropic
• Edge Impulse
• READY Robotics
• Fireflies.ai
• Apex.AI

Personal Background

• Originally from Hawaii, grew up in Mililani
• Enjoys eating and water-related activities in his free time
• Was a member of the NCAA water polo team during his time at USC23

Rayfe is known for his technical knowledge and focus on frontier technologies, contributing to Canaan's investments in emerging and innovative sectors.